mettafuture wrote:Do any of those books give instructions on how to meditate on the 6 recollections - the original objects of meditation for the lay community, or on how to deal with hindrances and asavas as they arise?

Of course.

Lol. Which ones?

Off the top of my head, Khantipalo's Practical Advice for Meditators touches on the Six Recollections, Pandita's The State of Mind Called Beautiful gives instructions on the recollection of the Buddha and the Dhamma. Read the Visuddhimagga for the most detailed explanation of the recollections. As far as working with the hindrances and fetters, I have found both of Bhante G's books helpful as well as Pure and Simple by Upasika Nanayon, Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond by Brahm, The Way of Mindfulness by Soma Thera,all of Chah's..I mean I could go on and list all the books I already recommended. Thats why I recommended them in the first place! Hope you find them as helpful as I did.

The heart of the path is SO simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are. That is all I do in my own practice. Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into anything. Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you sit, let it be. When you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist nothing. Of course, there are dozens of meditation techniques to develop samadhi and many kinds of vipassana. But it all comes back to this - just let it all be. Step over here where it is cool, out of the battle. - Ajahn Chah

How great would it be if there was a big book that made mention of all the important topics in Theravada Buddhism like the 4 noble truths, 8 fold path, 5 precepts, 10 fetters (and/or 3 influxes), and the triple refuge?

Westerners have a tendency to overcomplicate practice. This is why teachers need to stress over and over to let go of that, it's not to say they want you to ignore other aspects of practice but they are trying to redress the balance. If we can't let go over our natural tendency to want to control, categorise, define, and file away under understood everything we experience we'll never be able to see the woods for the trees.

"Proper effort is not the effort to make something particular happen. It is the effort to be aware and awake each moment." - Ajahn Chah"When we see beyond self, we no longer cling to happiness. When we stop clinging, we can begin to be happy." - Ajahn Chah"Know and watch your heart. It’s pure but emotions come to colour it." — Ajahn Chah

bodom wrote:Off the top of my head, Khantipalo's Practical Advice for Meditators touches on the Six Recollections, Pandita's The State of Mind Called Beautiful gives instructions on the recollection of the Buddha and the Dhamma. Read the Visuddhimagga for the most detailed explanation of the recollections. As far as working with the hindrances and fetters, I have found both of Bhante G's books helpful as well as Pure and Simple by Upasika Nanayon, Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond by Brahm, The Way of Mindfulness by Soma Thera,all of Chah's..I mean I could go on and list all the books I already recommended. Thats why I recommended them in the first place! Hope you find them as helpful as I did.

Thank you for the list. I'm sure I and others here will benefit from your selection.

With Metta

JeffR wrote:

How great would it be if there was a big book that made mention of all the important topics in Theravada Buddhism like the 4 noble truths, 8 fold path, 5 precepts, 10 fetters (and/or 3 influxes), and the triple refuge?

Not a big book, a nice outline containing all you've listed and then some. I find it handy to review every now and again.

-Jeff

Thanks. I'll give the pdf a peek.

Goofaholix wrote:Westerners have a tendency to overcomplicate practice. This is why teachers need to stress over and over to let go of that, it's not to say they want you to ignore other aspects of practice but they are trying to redress the balance. If we can't let go over our natural tendency to want to control, categorise, define, and file away under understood everything we experience we'll never be able to see the woods for the trees.

Goofaholix wrote:Westerners have a tendency to overcomplicate practice. This is why teachers need to stress over and over to let go of that, it's not to say they want you to ignore other aspects of practice but they are trying to redress the balance. If we can't let go over our natural tendency to want to control, categorise, define, and file away under understood everything we experience we'll never be able to see the woods for the trees.